


Hiyayakko

by Hawkflight



Series: Accomplice: Rise [2]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Cooking, F/M, Humor, Investigations, Kidnapping, Minor Canonical Character(s), Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-07-24 16:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7515283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawkflight/pseuds/Hawkflight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her life hasn't been boring for a long while, but she never expected this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. [Shonichi]

**Author's Note:**

> This is the "true" start to the Accomplice: Rise series, Ablaze Curtana of the Star was more of an extra tidbit. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the series and Rise's altered adventure with the IT; oh, and Adachi, of course.

She pulled on the two ends of the white fabric, securing the knot that would keep it in place as she worked for the day. Her grandmother would be going to the school to get her enrolled now that she was back in Inaba, permanently. Next week is when she would start though, she had made a public announcement that she was going to take a break because of health-related reasons after all. It would be odd for her to go to school immediately after saying that, and honestly, she needed a break from everything else in her life right now. Everything except her grandma, who seemed to be the only one to understand just how she was feeling these days.

That she needed a much more permanent break from being Risette than she had let on. Her idol alter ego, the fake her that the world adored. She was tired of being Risette, of becoming an idol to find some real friends only to realize that's not how the world worked. Any 'friends' she had only wanted to be friends with Risette, not _her_.

Rise sighed, shaking her head softly, sending her curls bouncing as she did. It was a habit, really, doing her hair up like this for all the photo shoots, the concerts; it would have been in the same style in that movie too if she had stayed on as the lead actress. With her quitting though, that wasn't going to happen.

"Rise," her grandmother's voice called from below. "I've got to be going now, take good care of the store while I'm gone, and don't push yourself too hard, sweetie."

She started to smile, but stopped upon seeing her reflection staring back at her. Rise looked away, down at her bright pink nails before looking up at the open doorway. "Okay. Be careful, grandma."

"Have a good day, Rise."

She forced her lips to curve up even though her grandma couldn't see her; she couldn't tell if it was from habit or not. "You too." She would wait until she heard the sound of the door closing before she leaned down to open up the bottom cabinet, pulling out a few cotton balls and the bottle of nail polish remover.

It would only take her a few minutes to get rid of the ghastly pink on her hands, and then wash them with soap before putting the bottle away and heading downstairs. She headed straight for the shop's entrance, flipping the sign over to announce that the Marukyu Tofu Shop was open, and invite customers to come inside.

Though the bell jingled shortly after, she knew it wasn't a customer. Rise looked up to see a cop standing in the store, glancing around at the food on display, with a cigarette sitting between his lips. "Is there something I can do for you?" she asked.

"No," the cop replied quickly, walking over to her just a moment after he saw her. She had sort of hidden herself away in the corner on purpose, so it wasn't surprising that he hadn't noticed her until she had spoken. "I just wanted to check that everything was fine inside. It looked empty."

"Thank you, for your consideration." Her words didn't sound as genuine as they could have, but she couldn't make herself put in the effort to do so. To sound happy and full of energy, when it would only be fake. Just like Risette. "But it's just empty because my grandma already left. It'll just be me in here until around noon when she gets done with her errands."

"Oh, okay." He seemed to be taken aback by her demeanor. Compared to how she was seen on tv, this probably wasn't what he had been expecting. "I'm Detective Dojima. Your grandmother told you that we would be here, didn't she?"

"She did," she replied, not bothering to ask what he meant by 'we' when she had only seen him so far. He must have a partner who was outside or somewhere nearby.

"Right." Dojima scratched at the back of his neck. "I'm going to be in charge of the security of your shop today. So if you see anything suspicious, let me know." By security he meant keeping the onlookers at bay, her fans and anyone that didn't have buisness in the shop. And by suspicious she assumed he meant anyone that tried to break in and raid her panty drawer. "I'll be outside. Just give a shout if you need something."

"Okay," she spoke in the same monotone that had taken ahold of her vocal chords since her grandmother had left.

Dojima left with a small nod of his head, going outside, but she heard him shout a second later, "Adachi! What are you doing over there? The cars will start to come soon, get over here and keep them from parking on the street."

The other cop - actually, probably another detective now that she thought about it - came into view, walking over and speaking in a softer tone than his superior. But considering it was early and no one was out at the moment besides them she could hear him perfectly fine, "I was trying to determine if someone could jump from that telephone pole and onto the Marukyu's balcony."

"Hm?" Dojima glanced at what she presumed to be the telephone pole that was potentially close enough to her shop's balcony that a detective would consider it an entry point for a panty thief... or something. "Even if someone could manage that jump anyone would see them climbing the pole before they got the chance to jump. Stop focusing on the pole and get to work." Dojima practically shoved a traffic stick into Adachi's hands before he walked off, presumably to do something else about her shop's security.

Rise stuck to the corner of her grandma's shop even when customers would walk in, any fans limited to trying to see her through the storefront windows as Dojima kept them at bay. Of course, after a few minutes of not seeing her and no one mentioning her being inside they would leave. Though, the latter only happened because she kept her back to the customers for the most part, and when her grandmother came back around noon it was her that dealt with the customers instead of Rise.

By that time the crowds had thinned out as well. Once the schools around Inaba began to end they would flood the store's front again, but for now things were relatively calm.

"You can't park there, sir!"

For the most part anyway.

Her gaze slipped to a crack in the shelves that allowed her to see Adachi getting off the sidewalk, walking over to a car that had stopped in the middle of the road. It just sat there, literally sat there, blocking traffic for it's one lane. She didn't think someone would actually do that.

"Hey, did you hear me? You're going to hold up everyone behind you-"

"Isn't that the tofu shop run by that famous idol Risette's family?"

"What? No. Could you please move your car-"

"Yeah, I think it is." The man in the car was clearly ignoring Adachi. It was obvious from the movement of his shoulders that he had just let out a heavy sigh, before moving to stand in the person's direct line of sight of the shop. "Hey! What gives-"

"Get your car moving before I have to write up a ticket, and not after. Come on," Adachi swung the traffic stick to point at the road. "I'll double the fine if you don't get moving."

At that point the car's window rolled further down. The man driving glared at Adachi, and while she couldn't see who was in the back seat, she assumed it was a kid when she saw a spitball fly out the window and - presumably - connect with Adachi's face.

"H-hey!" The car finally started moving. "Get back here-or stay away!" Rise laughed softly at the detective's mix up. He was clearly upset about what the child had done, and the parent for not reprimanding them; but at the same time he remembered that he was suppose to get them moving. It wasn't the sort of thing you saw every day; a detective slipping up at work. Though, both the detectives seemed to be acting like ordinary cops for today, and her grandmother had mentioned that the force here in Inaba was small.

According to the news there was a killer on the loose, but instead of working to catch him the detectives were here, making sure she wasn't bothered just because she was a former idol that quit recently. It wasn't nearly as important, but because of her more rabid fans she couldn't just turn their help away after her grandmother had asked for it, especially because her grandmother had asked for it.

Rise turned away to look down at some tofu and some sweet rice flour she was molding into a ball for mochi. She sighed, her coming home was a bother to everyone - and she knew it - but, she couldn't stay on as an idol. Not when she was pretending to be someone else, just for the benefit of her company.

It was her fault now that the people of Inaba and her more crazy fans were giving the police force a hard time. They were just trying to keep the peace, give her the privacy she had back before she was a model, they shouldn't have to deal with things like that.

She glanced back towards the crack between the shelves, to see Adachi standing on the sidewalk once more, waving the traffic stick to move people along, as if that somehow helped. There was only one road after all, it shouldn't take a genius to figure out that you were just suppose to move forward and not attempt to stop in the middle of the street. It was a waste of resources for the police to be doing this, but... it was helping her and her grandmother, as troublesome as it was.

Rise rolled the prepared mochi to the side of the table she was working at. With a glance at the clock she stood up, retrieving a block of chilled tofu from the fridge along with a few other ingredients: a green onion, cucumber, some shiso leaves... She paused, that really was too much green, she should add another color... Her gaze landed on the container of plum paste; purple, that would surely even out the palate.

She carried the items back to the table, opening a box from the store and setting a plastic sheet on the bottom before placing the block of chilled tofu inside. Within a few minutes she had sliced up a quarter of the green onion, cut up some cucumber, and chopped the shiso leaves lengthwise. She arranged the leaves along the bottom of the block of tofu, mincing the green onion and cucumber further, mixing the two together before taking some to sprinkle on top in a circle. The remains were simply arranged on the top and along the sides of the tofu. Rise only took a spoonful of the plum paste, setting it in the center of her creation: a hiyayakko.

After cleaning everything up and putting what she hadn't used back in the refrigerator Rise stuck the box with the hiyayakko in there as well, to keep it from getting warm.

As the last hour passed by Rise helped her grandmother around the store: keeping the shelves stocked, packaging the food, anything that doesn't require her to interact much with the customers; if at all now that her grandmother is here. While doing this she grabbed an extra container of silken tofu setting it next to the hiyayakko she had made earlier, packaging it into a separate box from the shop.

A few minutes after her grandmother had headed upstairs and Rise has flipped the sign to _closed_ Dojima walks in, as she hadn't locked the door yet and had been expecting him to come inside. "Well, we're done for today. We'll be back tomorrow, and the next few days as well until all the excitement dies down. If something happens while we're not here just call the station and the closest unit will be sent over."

"Thank you." Rise was feeling a bit better after working today, it helped to get her mind off all the other things that would likely rush back at her later tonight. When she saw him just nod his head, about to say goodbye - or something similar - she spoke first, "Wait one moment." She turned around, grabbing both boxes from the fridge, setting one down on the counter before walking towards him with the other one. "This is for helping today at the shop. I know you have more important cases to attend to, so thanks."

Dojima glanced down to the the box in her outstretched hands, before looking up at her with a smile. Perhaps he thought he was seeing a bit more of the Risette from the commercials now, or at the very least someone that didn't appear completely depleted of energy. "Thanks. That's very kind of you."

"You're welcome," she replied, but still has to force the corners of her lips to curve up. "Is the other detective still here, too?"

"Hm?" Dojima glanced to the other packaged box she had set on the counter, quickly figuring out her intentions. He smiled. "Yeah, I'll send him in."

She offered him another smile, watching as he left the shop.

Dojima seemed to stop and glance around for a moment, before finding his partner and calling out, "Adachi!"

Something clearly hit the pavement a second later, followed by a quick, "Yes, sir?" from the way Adachi was speaking Dojima must have caught him off guard, and that sound from before was probably him dropping the traffic stick. A small smile appeared on her face as she turned and made her way back to the counter she had set his packaged hiyayakko on.

"There's a nice lady inside that wants to see you."

"Huh?" Adachi sounded so dumbfounded over this statement that she almost grinned.

"Go on. I'll be waiting in the car." She had a sneaking suspicion that Dojima would be locking the car from the inside so that Adachi couldn't get in even if he tried. So if he wanted a ride back to the station, he was going to have to enter the shop. It was nice to see that even after the day they had Dojima could still joke around with his co-worker, and he must have done it before too, because she could hear Adachi sigh from outside.

"At least turn the air conditioning on so it's cooler inside the car." There was a grunt in reply to his words, and then the closing of a car door.

What followed was a series of footsteps on the pavement, the jingle sounding when the door was opened, and a few seconds of silence. "Uh, hi. Do you know where your grandmother is? Dojima mentioned that she asked for me."

Rise couldn't help but laugh softly at his chosen words. Is that why he came in here looking both tired and slightly irritated? Just how often did Dojima tease him to make him think it was her grandmother he was referring to when he mentioned a 'nice lady?' "Nope. That was me, actually. Sorry about the confusion." His expression turned to one of surprise, and a giggle slipped passed her lips as she picked up the box from the counter, walking over towards him with it in hand. "This is for you."

She stretched out her arms, offering up the box with both hands as she smiled. "For..." he seemed confused as he looked down at the box, like he wasn't sure it was for him, even though it should be obvious.

"For helping out at the shop. I really appreciate it," Rise added with a smile. "It's hiyayakko, so there's no cooking involved. I prepared it myself."

"Oh, really?" he seemed skeptical. "Well, thanks-" He began to reach out for it, but Rise pulled the box away at the last second.

"If you don't want it I can just grab something from off the shelf. The ones on the right might be a bit bitter, though. They have been sitting out all day, and our air conditioner is being picky with the hours it wants to work."

"What?" He didn't just look confused, he looked flabbergasted. "No. I believe you." She hadn't missed the way he glanced to the other tofu on display in the counter - in actuality they were fine, kept cool behind the glass - before back at the box that was still in her hands.

"Do you?" she asked, with a grin, watching as he appeared to be looking for the right words that would make an adequate apology. "I forgive you," she said, before he could even speak, stepping forward to present the box once again. "But when you come back tomorrow you have to tell me how it tastes. Okay?"

Now Adachi just looks nervous as he takes the box from her, almost as if he expected her to yank it away again, or an alien to pop out of it. "Sure. I'll let you know at the end of my shift."

Rise smiled, "See you, then."


	2. [2-Nichi-me]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for why this series has parts. It's going to be a decent sized series, so separating it into parts makes it more manageable for me. Plus, this works best with the way I have the plot structured. Not to mention that it'll allow me to make each ending distinct as well instead of cramming them and everything else into one fic. Not every part will be as small as this one (Hiyayakko only contains three chapters in total), in fact, most will be longer. I hope that makes sense.
> 
> Some dialogue here is taken directly from the game, because it was too good for me to change it.

Rise rested her chin on her pillow as she glanced from the clock and then to the television screen. It was almost midnight, just a few more seconds and then-

The television flickered on, even though she hadn't pressed the power button on her remote. For a moment it just looked like a bunch of static, except instead of the usual grainy white and black, it was more a sick green and yellow; it reminded her of the fog that she had seen driving into town just a few days ago. Except the lines here were more horizontal, and... She blinked, straightening up.

There was a figure on the screen, blurry, but she had been in front of a mirror so often that she recognized it... or, maybe not? The bust and waist looked larger than her own. It looked like the measurements her company had put up about her, which weren't entirely true.

Fake, actually. Just like Risette.

But the hair... the rest of the body, besides those two meassurements it was just like her own. Not to mention the way the figure stood there, feet wide apart, hands clasped behind it's back; also the same as her. Just swaying from side-to-side before the television went dark again, enveloping her room in outstretched shadows that looked like hands. The fingers stretching forward in their attempt to climb up the sides of the bed were she sat, protected only be the moon's light that came through the window, touching the pink comforter.

Rise continued to stare at the blank screen. This didn't seem right. How did the rumor go, again? She remembered her 'friends' telling her that it showed the person who was your soulmate, but... she couldn't be her own soulmate, and besides, she was heterosexual. She had never been attracted to a woman her whole life.

Perhaps her friends had gotten it wrong... or she-

No, someone similar to her appeared on the screen because she didn't have a soul mate? That seemed more plausible, but still difficult to believe. She must be getting these superstitions in town mixed up. Inaba was a small town, so there was going to be a lot of them. Like the one about a woman that showed up at the shrine late at night, but only on certain days. Was that when the moon was out? Or when it was raining, like tonight?

"Hm." Rise glanced over to her window, watching as the droplets of rain slid down the glass, bopping into eachother and taking detours on their race to the bottom.

They must have gotten it wrong. Whatever the Midnight Channel showed, it wasn't one's soulmate. Just a figure standing in some eery fog.

Rise sighed, leaning back until her head hit the pillow so she could stare up at the ceiling. Well, that mystery was solved, now all she needed to do was actually go to sleep. The one thing she had been trying to do for hours and failing magnifecently at. That was the only reason she was up past midnight. She could try counting sheep again, or... just close her eyes and pretend to sleep.

She closed her eyes, listening to the rain pounding outside until the room became silent.

The shop was lively again today, Rise suspected it was because the people that had been told she wasn't at the shop wanted to see for themselves. Just like yesterday though, they were kept outside the walls. She could hear Dojima keeping them from entering the store, only letting their customers through. It was too roudy for her to hear what Adachi was doing, but it was probably just more of the same.

People actually trying to park in the middle of the street. Didn't they know that they could cause an accident that way? At this point she probably shouldn't be so shocked. Some of her fans stalked her in hopes of getting a nude photo after all, but she wasn't so sure which was more disruptive.

She was sitting in the back again, listening to the last of the onlookers walking away when the bell above the door rang, accompanied by three pairs of feet hitting the tile as the group of customers came in.

"Let's see here..." There was a pause as she continued to mold the tofu and some other ingredients in front of her into a pattie. "Sure enough... the only one here is your typical old lady." The one that had just spoken sighed.

"Man, why don't you just ask if she's in back?" Another voice asked, this one was rough compared to the first one. "'Scuse me!"

A series of taps sounded before her grandma spoke, "Yes, may I help you?"

"What the-Then, who's that?" The first one was speaking again as her grandmother walked off, evidently leaving these three for her. Considering what they had said so far, they had to have come in to see her.

Did they slip past her security posing as customers?

Rise stood up, pushing the chair away before turning to face them. "...what?" She sighed when they looked over at her, seemingly shocked to see her attending the shop.

"Uh... Are you Rise?" the one with the rough voice asked. With that blonde hair, and wearing a leather jacket, he looked like he belonged in a gang.

"Yeah." she confirmed, tugging on a strand of her iconic hair. "So?"

"No way... Are you really Risette?" It was the ginger-haired kid that spoke this time, a pair of bright orange headphones hanging around his neck.

She held back a sigh. This is exactly what she hadn't wanted to deal with when she quit being an idol and came back to Inaba. "What do you want?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, um... Some tofu, please!"

"Tofu?" Was he just using that as an excuse now? Either way, he should have thought over this before so his act would be more convincing. It was perfectly clear to her that the tofu isn't what made these three enter her family's shop. "Which kind?"

"Huh? Wh-which one's which again?"

"If you're going to eat it by itself, you should go with silken. Momen's better for cooking... depends how you use it," Rise explained.

"Uh-Um..." The teen glanced quickly to his delinquent-looking friend. "Psst, Kanji! Order something!" Hm, that could have been handeled better with some tact.

"Wha? Why're you making me do it? You already picked ganmo a second ago!" Kanji snapped back, making no effort to lower his voice. Suffice to say, subtle was the not the word she would use to describe the two of them, unlike their comrade, who had yet to say a single word; she couldn't say much about him. "Dude here wants three ganmodoki."

"Oh, I see..." So there had been some prior planning, the one with the headphones had just forgot, apparently. "I'll go get them."

Rise walked over to the stand that held the ganmodoki, grabbing a bag from the side of the display case. She lifted the glass before grabbing a sheet of plastic even though, she was already wearing gloves; she began putting the requested ganmo and putting into the bag, listening as headphones boy talked about her - and their objective.

"Wow... She's nothing like she seems on TV. I wonder if she's just tired. Man, but it's really her... I'm so glad I came! Mission comple-Wait, we haven't done what we came here for yet!" A single footstep sounded in her direction, letting her know that he was addressing her now. "Um. H-have you noticed anything weird lately?"

"Weird? Like stalkers?" Did he know that was a question stalkers used a lot? Usually to lure their object of 'affection' into a place deemed 'safe.' "Are you guys fans of mine?" she voiced her suspicion since she first heard them talking.

"I wouldn't say 'we,' but yeah, dude here's a big fan," Kanji said, jerking a thumb in the other's direction.

"You little! Why'd you let that slip?"

"'Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful, slim legs.' Ya finished checkin' em out yet, or what?"

"Waaaaaaah!" Headphones boy scowled at Kanji. "Y-you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" he snapped, hands waving about dramatically. "I didn't say that! I never said any of that!" When Kanji didn't reply the other one sighed, looking back to Rise. "Maybe you know already, but it's been dangerous in Inaba lately. That's why we've been investigating some stuff."

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, slipping the last ganmo into the bag.

"Sorry, um... Let's see... Do you know about the TV show that comes on at midnight? I mean, it's not like regularly scheduled programming... How do I explain this?"

Oh, he was just referring to that rumor. "That thing that was on last night? The Midnight Channel, yeah?"

"Oh, you know about it. Wait... what? You mean you saw it last night?" She wasn't sure why this would surprise him so much, but gave a nod of her head anyway.

"I heard the rumors from some friends of mine. But that girl last night wasn't me. I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit before. And the bustline..." Rise glanced back to the display case.

"Huh?"

"Mine aren't that big," she said, gaze moving back towards them.

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean now. I-I mean... what am I saying? U-um, I'm sorry!" He actually cringed away, as if she were about to hit him.

She laughed softly, wondering just how many people actually noticed; not very many, she would think. "Don't apologize so much. You're funny."

"Hm?" He straightened up from his odd crouch. "Hey, she smiled." His own lips seemed to curve up, as if replecating her own.

"What is that show about, anyway?" Rise asked.

"Well, we're not too sure either. But you know there's been stuff happening here, right? We think the people who appear there... are the ones who get kidnapped next."

"I know this is sudden, but we're not lying." Kanji added, his face dead serious. Though, it was a bit difficult to think a guy looking like that would take a superstition so that seriously.

"Yeah, that's why we thought you should know about it." Because they thought that was her on the Midnight Channel?

"Huh... So that wasn't a dream. I was tired yesterday, but I couldn't sleep. And it was raining so I decieded to try that rumor I'd heard about. Hm, alright, thanks. I'll be careful." Rise mover over to the counter, not even bothering to type in the amount into the cash register as she set the bag down on the surface. It was a little heavier since she had slipped more tofu in while they were talking. "Here you go, three ganmo. That'll be six hundred yen. There's extra tofu in there for eveyone. A little thank-you for worrying about me."

"Whoa, seriously? Thanks!"

"Yosuke-senpai, you can't eat tofu, right? Want me to take yours?" Once again, Kanji looked dead serious. She was beginning to think that was his natural expression.

"Hell no! I always eat what people give me."

They were chatting away to each other as they left with the tofu; Rise moved back to her work station, finishing up the other tofu patties up until her grandmother asked her to close up. She stood up, pushing the chair back into place, about to go to the door and flip the sign over when the bell jingled again.

Rise glanced over quickly, on the verge of saying they were closed until she spotted Adachi standing just in front of the doorway. "Hello. Would you mind flipping the sign over so no other people wander in?" she asked, stepping towards the refrigerator as she did.

"Oh, yeah." She could hear the sign get flipped a few seconds later, followed by foot steps wandering further into the store.

"So, how was it?" Rise pulled open the door, reaching in for two containers she had set at the far side, away from the store's stock.

"Hm?"

"The hiyayakko," she clarified, setting the containers on the counter. They held roughly the same things as they did the other day. For Dojima she had put in a mix of silken and momen tofu, and for Adachi she had put together two seperate hiyayakko with some different toppings. Both of them were simple really - the former even more so - so that she could put them together easily inbetween her working tasks.

"Huh?" He seemed to be even more confused for a moment. "Oh, that. It was delicious. Thank you for taking the time to make it."

"It was?" It was hard to mess up a hiyayakko, but even so she was glad he had liked it. Rise picked up the box for him with a grin, before turning back to him. "You're welcome. I made some more today."

This time when she handed him the container she didn't move it away like before. Adachi took it from her hands, looking a bit surprised again, even though this time he must have known what the containers on the counter were for.

In the silence Rise asked what sort of toppings he liked, as she would be doing this again tomorrow as well. For as long as the detectives were here providing security for the shop. As Adachi was listing a few favorites of his though, the bell went off again and he went silent.

It didn't stay that way for long though, as Dojima walked over to the pair, taking a drag from his cigarette before speaking, "Sorry, but there's some things I'd like to ask you. You do know that there have been multiple violent cases around here lately, yeah? Have you seen anyone suspicious around?"

There was a lot of people in here asking her that today. "Not really. It's been like always."

"Like always?" Dojima didn't seem convinced for a moment, but then gave a nod of his head a moment later. "Well, you're an idol, so I imagine you deal with folks like fans, paparazzi, and stalkers quite often. What made you take a break from showbiz?"

"Does it really matter?" She bit her lip a second later, that had come out much harsher than she had intended. The detective may be helping her shop, but they were also here to keep people from prying and asking questions like that. Surely he realized that? Rise sighed softly, moving back behind the counter. "I just needed a rest."

"And have you registered for school?"

She turned to face Dojima, busying her hands with making sure that the box still on the counter was closed securely. "I'm planning on going to Yasogami High. It was the closest."

Dojima gave another nod of his head, apparently more understanding now. "I don't mean to alarm you, but... you do have some things in common with the recent victims. That's why, well..."

"I might be kidnapped, right?" Rise interupted him, having heard this all before. Which was odd, considering she should have heard about it first from the police rather than those others teens. They had mentioned investigating these occurences, themselves. A dangerous past time if she ever heard of one. Kidnappings and murder were the type of thing that should be left to the police. "I've been told that before. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"Huh? Someone told you already?" Adachi spoke up, fingers no longer fiddling with the top of his box.

"It was three guys. They were wearing uniforms, so I think they were high school students." Rise explained, not about to forget that particular group of customers. She picked up the box on the counter handing it to Dojima, who seemed to just automatically take it from her even as he continued on,

"Did one of them happen to look... How do I put it... Did he look something like a gang member?" He had to be talking about thet Kanji boy.

"Wait. You think she's talking about your nephew and his friends?" Adachi asked, somehow paying more attention now then he had before. Dojima frowned at this suggestion; but a little light blub went off in Rise's mind. So that's why those three had gotten inside, unless Dojima hadn't actually seen them enter the shop - which seemed to be the case, - but it made sense. Even if he saw them on the streets Dojima probably wouldn't think much about his nephew and a few friends walking through the shopping district. He probably didn't even realize that they had entered the store.

Soon enough Dojima turned away, walking towards the store front with Adachi trailing behind him. She left them to their mystery concerning his nephew. Perhaps he was just trying to help the investigation? What with his uncle being a detective and all.

Rise walked over to the other cashier stand that held the cleaning equipment. She needed to wipe the area and her own work table down before she could go to her room.


	3. [Mitsukame]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting! This chapter took a bit longer than expected because I had been packing and moving across the country, but now that I've settled things should be getting back on track. Here's the last chapter for Hiyayakko. The first chapter of Part 3: Kunō no Merodī has also been uploaded today, so no waiting there! I hope you continue to enjoy the series.

"-Okay. Thank you, and sorry for the last minute change. I just looked at our stock this morning and realized I had ordered too much." Her grandmother laughed in the silence. "Yes, it's quite the boon. Oh? That's very kind of you, young man. Yes, everything will be taken care of as usual for when you arrive. I'll keep it unlocked for another hour after closing for you as well. No need to rush, just drop off everything in the back when you can. My grandaughter can help you put everything away. Thank you very much."

Rise opened her eyes when she heard the click of the phone as it was set onto the reciever.

That TV show, the Midnight Channel had been on again last night - early morning. The picture this time had been clearer: showing tanned skin, strands of brown-red hair, and a yellow string bikini that showed more curves than it should. Considering the facts and not the rumors that is.

Who was running that show, anyway? Who had the technology to hotwire every TV in Inaba and time it so perfectly? No, who had the time? And were they really another obssessed fan of hers?

Things had been weird at times since she became an idol, but they had never gotten _this_ strange.

Rise glanced to the TV in her room, as if it would provide the answers to everything that was going on. She had come to Inaba for a break from being an idol, but that... image of her had followed her here. Not just in the way one would expect, either. It would have been normal to have a thought of her life as an idol slip into her mind, but then it would be gone just as quickly as it had come. She was suppose to be leaving it all behind, afterall. One would think that meant she would think about it less as time went on, not more.

The opposite of what she wanted to happen, and it was all because of that TV show that came on without any _power_. That should be the real mystery to concern herself with. Not why she was appearing on the TV. Everything else should really be irrelevant since it shouldn't be possible for the TV to just switch on by itself in the first place.

"Hm." She reached up with a hand, pressing her fingers against her forehead, massaging the skin; as if it would reach through to her brain. This was not the sort of thing she wanted to be thinking about right now.

"Rise?" She glanced over at the doorway, to find her grandmother standing there; her own eyes focused on her fingers. "Are you okay, dear? Have a headache? You can sleep more if you need to. I'll go get some medicine for you from the kitchen."

"I..." Rise trailed off when her grandmother had already turned around, making her way down the hall and likely going to begin descending the steps down into the kitchen in the next second. For being as old as she was, her grandmother moved rather fast, and it's not like she really would have believed Rise if she had told her that she wasn't sick. Even if she admitted to having a small headache her grandmother would insist on getting the medicine for her.

Well, she'd better get out of bed before her grandmother came back up and thought she was seriously ill.

Her hand fell away from her forehead, and she pushed herself up with her palms flat on the bed. Rise took a moment to stretch out her limbs before she got up and changed into her work clothes. In a few minutes she was downstairs: hair done, swallowing down a little pill, the Midnight Show forgotten for the time being. Until it came on again tonight. Though, she hoped it would be showing someone else rather than her again.

If people really believed the rumors then wouldn't that mean everyone that saw 'her' there would think she was their soulmate? She didn't believe that the person shown on the channel changed, not after seeing what she did two nights in a row, and a few other reasons as well. And who had appeared before her? Did everyone think that person had been their soulmate before her? The Midnight Show really was rather fickle-

Alright, enough; for real this time.

The sound of the bell from the front of the store filled the kitchen and Rise glanced to the clock. It was still a few minutes before the shop was officially open, her grandmother must have unlocked the door to prepare for today's customers.

"I'll be right there!" she called, grabbing her white headband and securing it on her head before pushing past the curtain and into the store. "Hello, and good morning. What can I get you-"

"It's just me." Adachi was standing in the middle of the shop, his badge showing he was a detective flashing in the light for a second before he closed it. It must have been a habit for him when on the job - to pull the badge out, or perhaps when he was taking it more seriously. From the look on his face he was taking today more seriously anyway.

Rise side-stepped around the counter towards him, twiddling her fingers. "Did something happen? Did someone try to get inside the house? Do-"

"Wha-" His mouth had begun to open, but then snapped shut before he began again in a hurried manner. "No, it's nothing like that," he said, waving his hands in the air a bit when he spoke; as if the action was suppose to calm someone down. "No one tried to get inside your house. Everything's fine, really." He let out a little laugh that didn't do much to calm her nerves.

Somehow it just didn't seem very promising. It wasn't that she didn't believe him when he said there was nothing to worry about, it's just... A sudden chill had run down her spine, she couldn't pinpoint when the cold had crept up on her; just that suddenly something felt very wrong.

"Really?" she couldn't keep a smell tremor from her voice when she spoke.

"Huh?" Adachi must have seen the shiver that shook her body for a second because he paused. "Yeah, really. I actually came by because everything has been going so well here. Besides a few fans of yours trying to enter the shop during working hours for a photo instead of tofu nothing unusual has happened, and things have settled down here. So Dojima and I are being pulled off security and back onto the case."

"Oh." That made sense. She hadn't been worried about anything happening when they were here; she had actually thought they should be working on the case that had freaked out the locals instead of looking after her. Her fans were a little crazy - that much was true - but they weren't murderers.

Yet she felt uncomfortable with them leaving so suddenly, even if it was for something more important. She hadn't been uncomfortable the last few days when the cops were here, so she shouldn't be wanting to ask for them to stick around another day or two when it clearly wasn't necessary. Nothing had happened.

So why did she suddenly feel cold?

"Well, thank you. For being here the last few days, you and your partner." It would be selfish of her to request for them to stay longer, but... maybe she could stop the pin pricks on her skin by- "If you're not busy later why don't the two of you stop by then? I could put something together for you guys, and I'm sure my grandmother wants to thank the both of you properly as well."

It didn't seem like an unfair request, asking for them to come by when they weren't working on the case. But Adachi had glanced away for a second, and though he met her eyes a moment later he clearly hadn't expected such a request. "I would have to ask Dojima-san. He's really worked up about this case, and it'll keep both of us busy until it is solved."

"Well, if you happen to be nearby later and have a minute or two to spare you're free to come in." It hardly mattered if both of them came by or not; as long as one of them showed up she was sure she would feel a little better.

"Yeah," Adachi seemed to relent a bit. "I could do that if I'm not actively chasing the killer."

She broke out into a smile, a sigh almost escaping her lips. "Thank you."

He chuckled rather softly. "No problem. Later, then."

Within a few seconds Adachi had left the store and Rise walked over to the door, making sure the sign was flipped over so people knew they could come in. She went back to her station in the back, behind the shelves even though no one should still be trying to catch a glimpse of her. The initial craze did seem to have calmed down now; which must have been the main reason the detectives were pulled back onto the case. That part about 'things calming down.'

On her side, that is. The case had to be picking up if they were really going to be so busy; or maybe they were so busy because they hadn't found a lead and they were trying to find one. Either way, she doubted they would be able to take a moment to sit down and eat.

She probably wouldn't see both of them today, so... on the chance that one of them stopped in - even with Adachi using that word _busy_ repeatedly - she should just put the food in a box again.

That way even if neither of them showed up she could even just take the food down to the station. If she was surrounded by the police force then not a single hair should rise from her body. Right?

Rise sighed, getting up while the first and only customer for the time being talked to her grandmother. She went straight to the fridge, pulling out everything she would need before sitting down once more.

This time she just had a small plastic container as she mixed some tofu and vegetables together, cutting the tofu into cubes first and letting it fry on a pan in the kitchen for a little while as she cut everything else into similiar sizes.

It didn't take very long until she had that set to the side, lid closed with some tape pressed to the surface, the name Dojima written on it. Rise placed a new sheet of thin plastic down, putting a smaller sized one into the other container she had put on the table.

She didn't chop the tofu though, just left it in the familiar block. She grabbed for the glass bottle of chirimen jako first, sprinkling the little salty fish onto the tofu and spreading out the bigger piles so the surface remained more even. Rise placed the remaining chopped tomato on top of that, taking her time with placing the slices. Her grandmother had told her once that presentation made the food taste even better.

While she agreed with that... Rise grinned at the container of yuzukosho. She personally thought spices could add a lot more to a dish then presentation. Still, she would try to keep it presentable as she had been taught.

Rise grabbed the paste made from chili peppers, yuzu peel, and salt; a wonderful combination really. She had been a little surprised when Adachi mentioned it being something he liked the day before. After she placed a spoonful on top and spread it around she grabbed for a few other ingredients he had mentioned as well, putting those on first before adding another layer of yuzukosho.

She was smiling when she placed the spoon down, pausing when she heard footsteps stop behind her. "Are you trying to put someone's mouth on fire, dear?"

Rise glanced over her shoulder at her grandmother. "Adachi said he liked it."

"Hm." Her grandmother looked at the hiyayakko before meeting her gaze again. "That seems a bit much for just 'like.' Are you sure he didn't use another word?"

Her cheeks felt on fire almost immediately. "Yes, I'm sure," she puffed her cheeks out as she spoke, frowning at her grandmother. "It's fine. He said he _really_ liked it."

The woman laughed at her granddaughter's antics. "Well, if your absolutely sure that he'll still taste everything else on there-"

"Grandma! I only put on the yuzukosho, not any of the other spices. It'll taste just fine." She assured her. Of course, she would have put in other spices as well, but Adachi had mentioned the yuzukosho specifically, and she didn't want to add in something he didn't like.

"Okay, dear."

Rise twisted her body around a bit before her grandmother could disappear into the kitchen. "They got pulled back onto that case, so I'm just making something for them." She paused before asking, "I was wondering if I could bring it down to the station for them? They may not be able to make it to the shop today."

"That's very sweet of you, Rise. Of course you can go, you don't need my permission."

"Thanks, Grandma."

She turned back to the task at hand, picking up the hiyayakko and all it's toppings - the yuzukosho was dripping down the sides, a few chirimen jako swimming in the paste - to place into the box. Once sealed she took up the marker again, writing Adachi down on it. She wasn't sure if she would be able to deliver it to them herself or not when she was ready to go down to the station. Even if it would be obvious who each box was intended for if they just opened it. She figured this would be more convienent for them.

Rise spent the rest of the day making various tofu foods, and either placing them in the fridge or the display case if they were running low on something. There wasn't as many people as the last few days, though. So she doubted they would have any real trouble, even if they were running short on tofu because of their sudden popularity.

Or rather people's guilty conscience for walking into a store just to see some idol, but when she didn't appear to be there they would grab something to buy before leaving. So in that regard the madness of the last few days had paid for itself.

She glanced out the window as she shut a display case, having recognized a voice from outside. The voice was low, so she couldn't distinguish the words, but she could see the three guys from the other day standing outside the shop, this time accompanied by two girls. They would glance to the shop occasionally as they talked, but they weren't entering-

Rise nearly dropped a pack of seaweed when she saw Adachi standing near the door, he seemed to be looking at the group of kids for a second - understandable since they seemed to be investigating the case as well, she guessed his superior had asked Adachi to keep an eye on them so they didn't get themselves in trouble - but then he was looking off to the side, a rather stunned expression on his face.

"Seriously..." The group of teens glanced over as well when Adachi spoke. "I just said that as a joke..." Adachi blinked, and it had the same effect as if he had shaken his head to get over whatever was so shocking. "Hey! Get down from there!" He took off running down the side walk, off to the side that she couldn't see

"What the hell!" Kanji shouted, running off in the same direction moments later.

"After that guy with the camera!" A girl in a green jacket shouted, and the others dispersed.

Hm? Just _what_ was going on out there?

Rise ran over to open the door, poking her head out of the shop to see some guy jump down from the bottom of the electrical pole and start running away from the mob. There was a camera dangling from an arm strap, along with rolls of photography film.

Wait. Had he just been climbing that to try and get to her room from the street? Rise stared as the guy ran, shouting about just wanting pictures of Rise's panties, among other things.

She nearly burst out laughing, ducking back into the store as to not cause a scene as she bent over, hands grasping at her knees as she laughed. No longer cold; she had to wonder if that was it. If that was what had been making her uncomfortable all day.

Had the stalker been watching her from a distance since this morning? That would certainly explain the sudden chill she had gotten. Rise grinned as she laughed. It was just silly, really, getting so worked up over someone like that. Who probably would have tried to steal her panties after taking photographs of them. Really, if you were that determined to climb up an electrical pole she couldn't believe a person like that would be satisfied with just a few pictures. Though, from the way his backpack bulged he probably had plenty of film for more than just a few pictures.

"Delivery," a voice called from the back of the store.

Still laughing Rise stood up straight, pressing past the flap into the kitchen, and then turning to open the door heading into the storage. The door heading to the back alley was already open and she skipped right up to it, poking her head out. "Hey! You can start carrying everything in-"

Her cheerful shout died in her throat when a hand clamped around her mouth, pushing some sort of rag into her open mouth that tasted sweet, sliding it up a bit; as if to try and cover her nose with the rancid smelling thing-

Rise wrenched her head to the side, gasping in fresh air and coughing a moment later as the assailant shoved the cloth back into her mouth, pressing it more firmly against her nose. She sucked in air on instinct when her oxygen was cut off once more, twice; three, four times... she could feel the person's hand trying to find purchase in her hair so she couldn't pull away again, and she _jabbed_ her elbow back, throwing all her body weight into it.

The moment the hand wasn't pressing so hard against her mouth she pushed away from the man - she knew it was a man from the way he groaned when her elbow hit him, - to fall and hit the floor as the world spun and tumbled around her, making her feel sick; like she was going to throw up... Rise shut her eyes.

She gasped aloud when her shoulder hit the concrete, eyes snapping open as the sudden pain shot down her arm. " _Ah_." She was tempted to shut her eyes again, but then she heard the footsteps that had somehow escaped her notice before and she began scrambling backwards along the floor, breath coming fast.

What the _hell_? Where had he come from - well, that was obvious, the fucking storage room. But _who_ was he? The killer? Some deranged lunatic that hung corpses from the TV antenna? And what the hell did he want from her? Other than killing her and stringing her body up like the other victims-

Now she really felt like she was going to throw up. It didn't help that she could feel her heart beating through every centimeter of her skin, either. Rise sucked in a breath when her back hit the wall. Where was her security? The two detectives were trained to go up against things like this, even if they were assigned to her because of simple raging fans. Not raging lunatics.

Her hands searched the floor frantically for something - _anything_ \- she could use against the man advancing towards her. Something blunt to throw at him, something sharp to jab into his gut and just _twist_.

She kept feeling cardboard boxes as her breath came faster, her heart beating louder in her ears with every passing second. It was like thunder, she could barely hear the man's heavy footfalls, but she could see him just fine.

The flash of a green coat and pants as he stood over her, looking positively crazed in that one second light illuminated the room when her hand hit the switch, and then was plunged back into darkness when her fingers dragged it back down.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ The police had been here just yesterday, why weren't they here _now_!? Dojima and-

" _Ada_ -" her shout was cut off before it could even start when her head was slammed back into the wall. Even as her vision swam with black dots she could feel the cloth being pushed against her mouth, covering her nose, a pair of fingers pinching down to cut off her air and forcing her to breathe in whatever was on the rag.

It only took a few more frantic breaths before her vision went completely black.

 _My envy can't describe how I loathe you for having all the stars_  
_Leaving my eyes to marvel the sky knowing it should be mine_  
_Yet it's you I see wasting the dream that only I deserve_  
_I'll tear off your face to see your smile._  
/Alesana/  
[Congratulations, I Hate You]


End file.
